Wimbledon is a globally recognised tennis tournament held in London, England and attracts celebrities and sports fans alike to watch world-class athletes battle for the title of Wimbledon Tennis Champion.

What date is Wimbledon 2018?

The annual tennis championships held at Wimbledon will run from Monday 2nd July 2018 until Sunday 15th July 2018. 

The tennis championship at Wimbledon is one of four international Grand Slam tournaments, the other three being the Australian Open, the French Open, and the US Open.

The Australian Open was held from 15th January to 28th January 2018, the French Open took place 27th May to 10th June and the US Open is the last to take place chronologically, being held 27th August to 11th September. 

Wimbledon location

The Wimbledon tennis tournament is held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, a district of south west London in England, UK. The courts are all grass and played mostly outdoors, although some of the courts have roofs which can be activated in the case of bad weather. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass courts.

The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a private members' club and was founded in the summer of 1868 when the then-popular game of croquet was at its peak. The game of lawn tennis had only been introduced in England a year earlier and a single lawn of the club was set aside for this new game. 

Ironically, the first ever winner of Wimbledon, Spencer Gore, is quoted as saying, "lawn tennis will never rank among our great games." Oh how wrong he was, as the annual tennis championship is now watched by nearly 7 million people around the world.

The nickname SW19 is often applied to this event as this is the postcode (area code) associated with the geographic location of Wimbledon within London. 

Wimbledon winners

As is the case every year, Serena Williams is the one to watch in the ladies' matches. Serena and her sister Venus are two of the most famous female sportspeople in the world and are amazing role models for women around the world in this hugely male-dominated industry. Serena won her first major tennis championship in 1999 at the age of 19 and has gone on to win a record-breaking 23 Grand Slam titles over the course of her career.

Her sister Venus has achieved 7 Grand Slam titles and has redefined the sport of tennis with her strength, determination, and pure grit. 

Among the men, the top players are Swiss Roger Federer, Serbian Novak Djokovic, and Brit Andy Murray. Roger Federer is thought to be the highest earning tennis player thanks to his elusive sponsorship deals with Rolex, Credit Suisse, Moet & Chandon, as well as a new £230m deal with Uniqlo clothing, setting his net worth at roughly £343.5m.

Why do players wear white at Wimbledon?

Wimbledon is renowned for its strict rules and traditions. As an historically British event, it is always attended by the Royal family and it has a famously strict dress code for players.

All players at Wimbledon's tennis tournament are required to wear all-white or at least almost all-white sports clothing. This dates back to when the Victorians believed white to look cleaner when the wearer is sweaty. It was particularly applied to women, as it was deemed unacceptable for a woman to be seen perspiring. 

Players are allowed a single trim of colour on their clothing and are allowed a small amount of branding from pre-approved sponsors. 

How much is Wimbledon prize money?

The total prize pot for Wimbledon 2018 has increased and it is announced to stand at £34 million.

The men's and women's champions each win £2.25 million, an increase from £2.2 million last year.

The Gentlemen’s Doubles and Ladies’ Doubles will meanwhile win £450k, an increase from £400k in 2017 and £350k the year before.

The Mixed Doubles champions stand to earn £110k, an increase on the £100k handed out to the 2015, 2016 and 2017 winners.

The History Of Wimbledon

The Championships, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world standing at 141 years old having started in 1877. The first ever Wimbledon event had only one game - the Gentleman's singles. It is now host to four junior and four invitation competitions alongside five main contests. 

In 1967, this famous tennis tournament made history by being the first broadcast to ever be televised in colour. 

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